On the Wild Side
by dirksies
Summary: Disney is on the look out for more DHIs, this time for Animal Kingdom, and six new kids have answered the call. It is now up to them to save Disney World. OC characters with Disney character cameos! Takes place after KKI
1. The Audition

A/N: So, when I first heard about the book series "The Kingdom Keepers", I was so excited! I mean, a book about Disney World where the characters come to life? What could be better than that?! And then I read it....yeah. In my opinion, I feel like that book has so much missed awesome, it's painful. I commend Mr. Pearson for the idea, but, well, it could be more awesome. So in light of that, I'm throwing caution to the wind and I'm publishing this. Some characters from the book series will be mentioned, but these will generally be all OCs. Don't say I didn't warn you, and I'm sorry if I offended anybody.

Disclaimer: not mine!

Chapter 1

My fellow Keepers asked me to write this. Why me, I don't quite know. I suppose it's because I keep a diary so a lot of this is still fresh for me. Whatever the cause, I'll start my story now; Thomas says I haven't much time.

I suppose I should begin at the beginning. That is the most logical place and I want you to experience things just as I did, that way you can know the TRUTH.

First of all, I would like to address the idea of TRUTH. It is very hard to come by. It is also easily manipulated and made into lies –especially when the lies are based in TRUTH– that it can be difficult to tell where the TRUTH ends and the lie begins. This is the case with Mr. Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers series. Not that they are complete lies, a great majority of them are based in TRUTH, which makes the lies that much more difficult to discern; it is just important to remember that they are great works of fantasy, and simply that, fantasy. I don't mean to sound harsh, but he left out some important things, and changed a lot of the key facts, and, well, you'll be able to tell as I go along.

What I am about to tell you through this account, though, is the TRUTH. It will seem unbelievable at times and it will definitely not be what you expected but I can guarantee to you that it will be the TRUTH.

The Disney Hosts had been released about half a year ago and the mysterious events surrounding the Magic Kingdom had settled down when I first heard about the casting call for more Disney Hosts, this time at Animal Kingdom. Well, I did not really hear about it, my mum did.

You see, she was desperate for me to make friends and she was always one to take the dramatic route. I was rather apathetic to the whole situation; I did not care about Walt Disney or anything to do with him, and, frankly, at the time, I rather wished that he did not exist.

My family and I used to live in England, my mum working in marketing for an international corporation when she got a job offer from the Walt Disney Company that she could not refuse. So all of us, my mum, dad, and two little brothers, James and Lucas, packed up everything and moved to Orlando, Florida while the original Disney Hosts were having their test run in the Magic Kingdom.

My mum came home from one day, after we were settled in, all excited, brandishing a paper in one hand and swinging her purse around in the other. When she told me her scheme, I rolled my eyes and continued to set the table for dinner.

"Come on, love," cajoled my dad, walking into the dining room, wearing his ridiculous apron that he always wore whenever he cooked. The frilly pink outfit hung loosely against his body, obviously not designed for a man's form, especially not my dad's skinny, tall one. His gray hair, which he insists is actually "blond", is starting to thin at the crown of his head, however his gray-blue eyes remain just as youthful as when he and mum married. "I think it sounds like a brilliant idea. You know how much you love to act and how much you love animals."

"It's rude to eavesdrop," I said, watching as my mum and dad traded a quick peck. "Besides, you need me around here to help unpack," I added, knowing it was a weak argument as I said it.

"Nonsense," said mum. "We only have a few more boxes; your dad can handle those. This should only take a weekend, a week at the most, and that is only if you get chosen as a Host. If not, it is just one morning of auditions. It will be fun!" My mum concluded, as if that would seal the deal.

I just stared at her, face blank and she finally sighed, not breaking down, but backing off for the time being. "Just look at this," she said, passing me the sheet with the audition information, slightly crinkled from where she had clutched it.

I took it without looking at it, setting it on the table and continuing to finish the table setting. The silverware clinked as I set it in its proper place around the table. I could hear mum singing a song as she changed out of her work clothes and into something more comfortable.

"Emma," said my dad, his quiet, middle-ranged voice coming from behind me. I jumped, not realizing he was still there.

"Yeah?" I asked, not turning to look at him. He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, then quietly began.

"Emma," he repeated. "Just because we're in America does not mean you have to stop doing what you love. Live a little."

I clenched my jaw and he sighed.

"I know you miss your friends, I miss mine as well, but we need to try and adapt. We can find friends here if we let ourselves," he paused again. "Think about it." He squeezed my shoulder and went back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Heaving a dry sob, I sat down heavily in a chair. The tears would not come; I had stopped crying about leaving England long ago, or at least it felt like long ago. I allowed my eyes to scan the room and they finally landed on the audition sheet, which was conveniently right next to me.

_That's weird,_ I thought for a second. _I thought it was on the other side of the table._ I shook my head, clearing away the ridiculous thought, and really looked at the paper.

The Animal Kingdom logo of a giant tree surrounded by animals stood out in shimmering green ink on the top right hand corner and the description of the casting call glowed in the same colored ink. My eyes flicked down the page; any one 15-18 years old could audition (I mentally checked that off), can provide a headshot and a copy of i.d. (check), can be in Orlando, Florida on May 10 (check again), and is an "unknown", basically has no other "claims to fame" (Yep, definitely check). That was all that was required.

I blinked, that did not seem so bad. Maybe I _could_ do this. Continuing to scan the page, I learned that for the audition, hopefuls would have to read a monologue, which would be provided at the audition site. Again, not too bad.

_What am I thinking? I can't actually go through with this._ I thought. _Why not? _I argued with myself._ Dad's right. I need to move on. _I choked back another sob at the thought. _Besides, Hannah wouldn't want you to not do something just because you missed her,_ I argued with myself._ I had a point._ I sighed and gave a twisted smile at the thought. _America makes you insane,_ I decided.

I heard my mum coming back down stairs and walked slowly toward her, feeling like I was on a death march. She appeared at the foot of the stairs at about the same time I got there. She was dressed in a comfortable shirt and pants, though still managing to look stylish; her luscious brown her in a knot at the base of her neck. Her hazel eyes looked at me questioningly as she waited for me to talk.

"Alright, mum," I said, somewhat resignedly. "I'll do it."

~*~

My mum and I arrived at the audition site, the Grand Floridian Hotel, a few minutes early. Looking around the lobby, I stood stunned at all the grandeur. My mum, however, was hardly awed as she backtracked to retrieve me, then dragged me to the large room that served as the hotel's convention center.

Kids from 15-18 years old milled around, some trailing anxious parents, others talking comfortably in groups. I thought I recognized some people from my school but I was not sure, I had not attempted to make friends so I had not tried to learn faces or names. My mum squeezed my hand, then let go, moving passed the rows of chairs facing a platform and to a long table where five official looking people sat.

As I watched my mum walk, my eyes fell on some of the other hopefuls and I began comparing their outfits to mine. What can I say? It is a girl thing. I wore a dark blue top that complimented my figure and brought out the color of my eyes, but not so revealing that I felt uncomfortable wearing it. My pants and shoes were black and sensible, also not uncomfortable, but, as my mum told me, I still looked nice. My hair was in messy bun at the back of my head that my mum had designed; I was horrible about doing my own hair, mostly due to the fact that I could not control the dark brown mess alone.

I turned my attention away from my clothing and back to my mum who was already at the long table, filled with, I assumed, the director and producers of the DHIs or something like that. Mum stood talking to a woman who looked like a secretary and this was further reinforced when my mum handed over my papers, including a copy of my i.d. and headshot. The woman smiled at my mum and said something which caused Mum to jump and look around her, appearing somewhat flustered. My mum finally turned around and saw me, waving her arm signaling that I should come over. I was supposed to have followed her. Oops.

"This is Emma," said Mum when I finally made it over to the table.

" It is a pleasure to meet you," said the secretary women, offering a hand. Her dark brown hair was piled stylishly on top of her head, and her deep brown eyes twinkled as if she was sharing a private joke with me. When she smiled, her teeth were aligned in perfect rows. I looked down at her nametag. Charlotte. It suited her.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied, shaking the offered hand. She smiled again and then let go, beginning to check through my papers to make sure everything was in order.

I glanced shyly down the table, hoping to see the nametags of the other occupants but none of them seemed to be wearing one. One of the men caught me staring at them and gave me a quick smile. A goatee that seemed to be fading light brown to gray framed his smiling mouth, and the hair on the top of his head seemed to be on the retreat. Dressed comfortably, but casually in an African print t-shirt, he definitely did not fit the picture that I had in my mind of a high up Disney executive. This picture of the "unusual executive" completed itself with the man's exotic earring dangling from his left ear.

A blush crept up my face when I saw his smile, I did not like to be caught spying, and I gave a nervous smile back. His eyebrows arched, as if surprised about something and he turned to whisper into the woman's ear next to him. She was dressed a little nicer than the man next to her; her blond hair was loose and gently curled, reaching to about her shoulder. Though she wore a business suit that complemented her figure, it was wrinkled in a couple places and obviously had not been worn recently. Her tanned skin and bleached hair hinted at a lifestyle that preferred the outdoors.

"You're all set," said Charlotte, jolting me out of the examination of the other table members. I thanked her and, turning to leave, I glanced quickly at the earring man and business suit woman. The two seemed to be holding a very deep conversation about something, but neither of them was looking at me, so I assumed it was a different subject.

My mum and I left the table; mum walking over to a group of adults, obviously spotting someone she knew from work or perhaps not. She has a way with walking into groups of people and becoming the life of the conversation.

I briefly flirted with the idea of following her over to the parents, but I decided whatever they were talking about would probably not interest me and, besides, it would be awkward. So, instead, I stood where my mum had left me, wanting to and fearing to join a conversation. I finally settled on sitting in one of the chairs my mum and I had passed by earlier. The chair I choose was one of about 100 lined up in ten neat little rows facing an elevated platform. _I hope I'm not auditioning up on that,_ I thought fearfully, feeling panic rise up in me. In order to distract myself from the upcoming audition nerves, my eyes scanned the room, not really looking for anything in particular, just for something to do.

Finally the people at the long table began to move. Charlotte gathered all the audition forms into a neat pile and headed toward the platform, silently signaling everyone else to find seats. The other four table members headed toward an unobtrusive door, the man and the women still in deep conversation.

Charlotte climbed up the steps onto the platform and quietly waited for everyone to settle down. The room hummed with quiet conversation and anticipation as everyone got comfortable. My mum appeared by my side from who-knows-where and gave me a quick toothy grin before turning her attention to Charlotte. My stomach finally did what it was threatening to do since my earlier preliminary panic attack; it began to knot as I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself down.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," said Charlotte, once she decided the room was ready to listen, pronouncing each word clearly as if she cherished it before saying it. The conversations that still continued quieted after that statement and the room was silent. "I know you're all excited for this audition, and I want to thank you all in advance for coming out. First, some background info.," Charlotte smiled. "You all know about the Disney Hosts Interactive, right?" The crowd murmured excitedly, some kids letting out whoops and scattered applause.

"For all of you who don't know," she said, smiling at the enthusiasm of those who whooped. "DHIs are holographic tour guides. They were first tested at the Magic Kingdom in the fall, but now, because the Hosts have been so successful, the Imagineers want to introduce them to all the parks, starting with Animal Kingdom. Those of you who get the parts as the new DHIs will be lending your voices to animals instead of people. These animal prototypes have already been chosen, but it is up to you to give them character."

I blinked. _Wait, not people? I guess that makes sense because it is at Animal Kingdom, but they had people at Magic Kingdom. Well, at least I don't have to worry about people recognizing me everywhere I go if I get the part,_ I thought, zoning out of what Charlotte was saying for a moment.

"For the audition," continued Charlotte as I tuned back in, "you will choose one of the animal monologues to read, only _one _mind. After that you will perform an impromptu skit with five other randomly selected auditionees –basically we will choose some situation from a hat and you will have to come up with a skit with only three minutes prep. time. I will leave the monologues on the stage and you will have ten minutes to prepare. Good luck to you all," Charlotte concluded, laying six separate piles of paper on the stage then leaving, going through the same door the other table members had gone through, closing the door behind her.

After Charlotte left, there was a moment of silence, as everyone waited for something to happen, and then, chaos. A mob of teenagers rushed to the stage, shouting out the different monologues to each other.

"Oh, cool, lion!"

"Nice, dinosaur."

"I'll trade an eagle for a deer."

"Anyone seen the fish monologue?"

"Wow, a dog!"

I sat stunned, somewhat paralyzed at the sudden noise. _Crazy Americans._

"Go on, Emma," said Mum, nudging me forward. "Get up there, or you won't get a good one."

I swallowed, not wanting to get trampled by the mob, but I needn't have worried, everyone had mostly cleared out by the time I got up there. I couldn't see any lion, dinosaur, or fish monologues left. I spotted an eagle monologue, but it had nearly been destroyed in the tussle, almost in two pieces. So, it was between the dog and the deer. A quick round of eenie-meanie-mynie-moe solved that problem. Dog.

I picked up the monologue and wandered away from the stage, looking over the monologue as I went. The room was loud again, as kids were beginning to read their monologues, practicing how they wanted to say them. I wandered over to a corner that was thankfully unoccupied and stared at my paper, not really reading the words.

"Five more minutes," came Charlotte's voice.

I blinked and almost had an actual panic attack. _How did Mum talk me into this? I can't do this. I can't do this at all. Focus, Emma. Just read the monologue, you'll look less stupid if you have a general idea of what you're saying._ My eyes scanned the page again; words flashed through my mind but did not stick. This felt like a nightmare. My stomach rolled; the butterflies in my stomach seemed to be doing the tango as the words blurred, twisted, and rearranged themselves. This was nothing like auditioning for school plays back at home in England. For one thing, back home wasn't Disney, the largest employer of entertainers in America. And who was I? Some new kid out on limb, a limb that was growing shaky and unsteady as time rushed by.

* * *

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	2. The Taste

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and especially to Barbiegirl 22 for reviewing! Sorry for the wait in updating. This is kind of a slow chapter...I'm sorry this story as a whole is taking longer to get moving, but I promise you, I have epicness planned. Happy reading!

Chapter 2: The Taste

"Time's up," came Charlotte's voice. "May I please see Steven Conners, Matt Song, Julie Drat, Natalie Day, Dylan Waters, and Anya Brown over her at the door? You six will be the first to audition and you will also be working together on the impromptu."

Dragging myself away from my corner, I slumped back to the chair next to mum. It was hopeless. I couldn't concentrate, this just wasn't going to work for me.

"What have you got so far, Emma?" asked mum. I passed her my monologue and she read it over, delicately nibbling her lip. "Hmm, interesting. This quote is a challenge, but I think if you approach this character from a sympathetic angle, it will really bring something to your performance."

I nodded off the tip, cringing at the thought of actually performing this for anyone. "Mum," I started, tight-lipped. "Can we go? I don't think I can do this."

"You can try a different monologue, I'm sure there are extra ones on the platform," suggested mum, not quite on the same wavelength.

"No, mum," I said, voice more urgent. "Really, let's just go."

"Emma," she said, turning and really looking at me, finally catching on. Grabbing my left hand with both of hers, she looked into my eyes. "You used to love acting." She said, her voice sounded desperate but also worried, like she had only just noticed that I was not behaving how I used to back in England.

"I –I know, mum," I said quietly, not meeting her eyes. My mum was silent for a moment as if thinking.

"You don't have to do this. I won't make you," she finally said reluctantly.

I winced. _Even though you really want me to,_ I thought. I sighed, I did not like disappointing mum, but I _really_ did not want to go through with the audition. Opening my mouth to say I wanted to leave again–

"I need Emma Lewis, David White, Collin Olsen, Heather Southey, Peter Stephens, and Tracy Cage to come over here please."

–I was cut off by Charlotte calling my name. I closed my mouth and swallowed, feeling faint. My mum squeezed my hand and helped me to stand, giving me a soft nudge toward the door. I walked over in a haze; not realizing the monologue sheet that I still held in my hand trembled.

The other kids that Charlotte called were already at the door and I got in line behind them, hoping that, as a last resort, the order we stood in line would be the order we auditioned, and not the order that we were called forward.

"Emma, you're first," said Charlotte, smiling encouragingly at me and stepping back, allowing me to enter first.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. I nodded, trying to smile back, and walked through the doorway. The four table members sat at the opposite end of the room I entered, all wearing the same smile that Charlotte wore.

"You're Emma?" asked a voice.

I blinked and tried to focus on the table instead of on fainting. It was the man who had smiled at me earlier, the earring man.

"Yes, sir," I said formally.

"Which monologue will you be performing?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

"Um, d-dog, sir," I stuttered, raising the sheet mechanically to my face.

"Emma," came a different voice, higher this time, female.

I looked at the table again; it was the business suit woman who the earring man had tapped earlier. "There's no need to be so nervous," she said smiling kindly.

I gave an internal wince and then nodded. _Was it that obvious?_ Numbness creeping over me as I exhaled, suddenly feeling calm, whether it was from the woman's comment, or the knowledge that I did not have anything really to worry about, I don't know. Probably a combination of the two. My stomach unknotted and my head cleared.

I blinked slightly. _What was going on?_ I thought, trying to figure out where my nervousness went. _I guess who ever is watching over me finally had mercy on me and relieved my nerves. Or I died._ I blinked again, considering the bleaker possibility. I might want to take advantage if this, whatever it was, I decided, so I said my monologue.

As I talked, everything clicked into place. Everything felt right. If you asked me to say the monologue again, I wouldn't be able to do it, but at that instant I knew it. I_ was_ it. I know this sounds corny, but this is Disney, something magical was bound to happen. I was just asking for it.

Suddenly, it was over. I must have dropped my paper at some point because when I finished my monologue, it was on the floor next to me. The moment had past, but thankfully the nerves were still gone. I stood and smiled a proud smile, watching the faces of the four judges. The earring man offered me another smile, this time, seemingly self-satisfied, nudging the business suit woman in the side. She nodded.

_Nodding. Nodding is good. _The two other judges were scribbling furiously on their notepads in front of them.

"Wonderful job, Emma," came Charlotte's voice from behind me. She had moved from her spot at the door to come up to me after my reading.

"Thank you," I murmured quietly, somewhat awed by what had happened. Was it over? Was it truly over?

"Send in the next auditionee, please," said the woman at the table. _Yes, apparently, it was over._

Charlotte nodded, ushering me over to the door. "David, you're next," she said after I exited. "Don't forget the impromptu," Charlotte reminded me before closing the door behind her in preparation for David's audition.

I nodded, in truth, I almost did forget, the experience that I had just had was so amazing I almost could not think of anything else. I leaned against the wall, waiting for the rest of my group to go and then for the impromptu time to start.

~*~

My mum and I arrived home thoroughly exhausted, though, granted, I was much more exhausted then she was.

"We're home," my mum sang as she headed toward the kitchen.

I went into the living room, flopping down on my favorite leather couch. I arranged myself so I lay on my back, face smiling up at the ceiling. Sighing, I closed my eyes, simply remembering.

"So, how did it go?" asked my dad's voice above me. I cracked my eyes open to see him, looking down at me, face amused.

"It was great," I said. "Really great."

"I'm glad," he said, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

I made a face at him and then laughed, feeling the best that I had felt since moving to America. I would find out in about a day if I had made it as a DHI, but at the moment, that did not matter. I was finally ready to start living again.

As it turned out, I did not even have to wait even half that long to find out if I had made it. The phone rang as the family was just sitting down for dinner.

"I'll get in," said mum, standing up and heading to the nearest phone in the kitchen. My brothers, 14 and 12 years old, were discussing some new video game, adding sound effects where applicable, my dad watching their antics quietly, thoughtfully eating his broccoli and cheese.

"Emma," said my mum, peeking into the dining room. "It's for you." Her eyes were dancing.

I stood up and smiled at her, guessing what the phone call was about. Taking the cordless phone from her, I walked into the kitchen, trying to find a quieter spot away from my brothers.

"Yes?" I said into the phone.

"Emma Lewis?" came the voice of the Earring Man. "This is Joe Rohde. I am an Imagineer at Disney and I have a question for you. Would you like to be a DHI at Animal Kingdom?"

I stood stunned for a minute. I had sort of expected it once I saw my mum's expression when she gave me the phone, but to actually hear the words made everything so solidly real. It was almost unbelievable.

"Emma?" asked Mr. Rohde again, sounding somewhat worried.

"Yes, sir!" answering his question that had shocked me into silence, finally finding my voice. Beginning to dance around the kitchen, feeling a happy tear trickle down my cheek, I continued, "I would love to!"

"Excellent," he said. "We will have a meeting with the rest of the Creative Team and your fellow Animal Kingdom DHIs later this week at the Animal Kingdom." I stopped dancing for a moment to focus on what he was saying. "You will get a mailing with all the details soon as well as passes to the Animal Kingdom for you and your family."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"It was a pleasure," replied Mr. Rohde. "And thank you for your wonderful audition. You will be an excellent addition to the team."

I thanked him one more time and the hung up. My whole family was staring at me in shocked silence. Food that was halfway to slack-jawed mouths fell limply from fork to plate as their consumers stared at me completely confused.

"Good news?" asked my dad blithely, face deadpanned.

I nodded, smiling at his blank expression. "I'm a DHI!" I exclaimed, spinning, continuing my temporarily abandoned happy dance around the kitchen.

"Em's a DHI?" asked Lucas. His looks took after my mum's with thick dark hair and hazel eyes.

"Wicked," commented James, who took more after my dad with lighter brown hair, pale blue eyes and was threatening to have his height as well. The two brothers traded a high five over the news.

Meanwhile, my mum and dad had come and interrupted my dance with a big hug. "We're so proud of you," said my mum kissing my head.

"Thanks, Mum."

My dad squeezed my left shoulder and I looked at his beaming face as he nodded, very proud of me.

"Hey, Em," called James. "You're going to be famous!"

* * *

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	3. The Encounter

Alright, here we go with the next chapter. Be sure to read and review!

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 3: The Encounter

I had to wait a whole week before I got to meet with the creative team who had designed our DHIs and the original DHIs. Okay, I'll admit it, I was a little excited to meet some of the older DHIs and Wayne(I had read the book), but when my dad and I got to the gate in the Africa region of Animal Kingdom that would take us backstage to meet the team, they weren't there.

"Looking for Finn?" said a voice teasingly. I looked over, somewhat taken aback. Who was this guy? My eyes landed on a guy who looked as if he could have been Korean, dark hair and pale skin glowed slightly in the sunlight. Not that I was any darker. I avoided the sun like the plague; I tended to burn rather than tan. He was dressed in a slightly formal outfit; khaki pants, long and straight, and light blue polo, crisp.

His face was twisted into a smirk as he slouched above me, which made me dislike him a lot, even though he was kinda cute. "Well he's not coming. Off doing some important promotional stuff in Epcot." The kid rolled his eyes, making it apparent that what everyone else though was "promotional" was clearly just showing off.

"Like, you don't _know_ that, Matt," said a new voice, all attitude. I turned to look at the new speaker, beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. The girl that had spoken was stunning. A dark tan made her look like the picture of ultimate health along with bleached blond hair complementing it. She wore shorts which showed off her long legs and a t-shirt on top which held the emblem of some tennis club. She cracked into a smile as she turned to me. "Hey, I'm Claire," she said, attitude gone from her voice. "Are you the last DHI?"

"Yeah," I said, returning the smile slightly, a little uncomfortable by her quick change of mood. "I'm Emma Lewis."

"Nice to meet ya," responded the girl. "That jerk you were just talking to is Matt," she said, indicating him with her head as he offered her a haughty scowl. "This is Kimela," she added, jerking a girl out of a nearby conversation with what looked to be her mother and dragging her over to us.

Her skin was naturally dark and she had smooth, loose black hair, like that of a Hawaiian. Her eyes wrinkled at the corners as she smiled at me; amused, not upset that she had been so forcefully removed from her conversation. She wore a simple yellow sun dress with red chucks and a necklace with a bright red pendant. "I see you've already met Claire," joked the shorter girl, as she shared a smile with me, eyes sparkling mischievously.

I smiled back at her. "Yeah, I'm Emma Lewis, by the way," I replied. She was a free spirit, that one. I liked her almost immediately.

"I'm Kimela Pang," she responded, "but you probably already knew that thanks to Claire here." She laughed as Claire pouted slightly.

"You're no fun, Kimmy," said Claire, voice a mock whine.

"And who appointed you tour guide, anyway?" continued Kimela, not acknowledging Claire's comment.

Claire huffed dramatically, still pouting. "Just trying to be helpful," she muttered, arms crossed over her chest. Fortunately I was saved from their antics when the gate we were standing in front of swung open.

Charlotte, the blond haired secretary from the auditions, stepped through the tall wooden gate and quickly closed it before turning to smile at us. Today she was wearing a normal "Cast Member" outfit, this time a green polo, and white khaki shorts, a name tag clipped to her top and a walkie-talkie was attached to her belt. Her eyes swept our little gathered crowd as she beamed, looking at us if she were checking each of our faces off a mental list. "Alright, glad to see you're all here," she said, nodding to each of our parents as thanks. Some of us were old enough to drive, but none of us was old enough to do anything unsupervised, legally at least, so we all had one parent tagging along. It wasn't too bad. My dad got to come with me this time and I liked spending time with my dad. The parents weren't allowed to go backstage, though. Disney wanted to save the surprise for everyone as long as possible, including our parents.

"If you follow me, we'll head backstage to meet everyone. No pictures, please, and cell phones off," she ordered. It was company policy and I understood it, they didn't want the magic ruined. I hadn't brought a camera anyway, the letter we had received after we got the parts told us not to, and my phone was already off. A couple phones played their turn-off tunes as Charlotte scanned our faces, then she nodded. "Alright, follow me."

She swung the gate open far enough to let us in and the other DHIs started squeezing through the space. Giving my dad a quick hand-squeeze, I followed the others just before Charlotte closed the gate behind us. On the other side was a stone pebbled path with waist high green walls on the side, surrounded by foliage. It really could have been anywhere in Disney World and I exhaled slightly. For some reason I thought going on the other side of the gate would be like a complete whiplash, slapping me out of the Disney magic, but really it wasn't that weird.

Unconsciously all of us had clustered together, not going much beyond the gate, and I realized we had farther to go. Charlotte pushed to the front of the group and then beckoned with a graceful hand. "Follow me please, and we'll go meet the Creative team."

There was some muttered acquiescence and we followed Charlotte down the path, soon leaving the gate behind as we turned a corner. The forest around us was strangely quiet, the music that was pumped into the Animal Kingdom didn't continue backstage, instead the natural music wafted around us as we walked. We rounded another bend and came upon a warehouse-like building, painted a cream-ish color, which even though it wasn't ugly, still stood out against the surrounding plant-life.

"Here we—," began Charlotte, raising an elegant hand to gesture toward the building when she was cut off by a ferocious roar. A lion jumped out of the bushes to our left, bearing its gleaming white teeth, mane a deep mahogany brown, and fur a shimmering gold. Charlotte's eyes got wide in fear.

She reached quickly for her walkie-talkie and then frozen, a frown on her face. "What are you _doing_?" whispered a panicked Matt after what felt like an hour of Charlotte staring at the lion, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. "Call for help!"

"No," she murmured, brow furrowed, eyes studying the lion before us. The lion bared it teeth, snarling something ferocious and took another step forward and we all tensed, completely bewildered about why Charlotte didn't _do_ anything. Her eyes widened as if she realized something. "Thomas, step forward," she commanded, pronouncing the name like "Toe-mah".

A tall, dark kid stepped hesitantly next to Charlotte, keeping his eyes locked on the lion. "Yes?" The guy looked nervously at the lion, hands twitching as if wanting to grab a weapon. The lion had turned his attention to Thomas, its golden eyes almost seeming to glow. It had stopped snarling at least.

"No…..but it looks so real," I spluttered to myself, pieces falling together in my mind in clumps.

"This is Hamza, your DHI character," said Charlotte smiling shakily, but with confidence.

"This is my—?" he started asking, but was cut off as the big cat began to move again. The cat kept his eyes locked on the tall human as it approached. It continued to paw forward until it got within a couple feet of Thomas and bowed. Thomas' face registered awe as he reached out to touch the lion, but his hand slipped right through it. _Wow_, he mouthed, a smile spreading over his face.

"Hey!" yelled a voice (none of us could remember who yelled after it happened) and we all looked around at random, trying to figure out what the yeller wanted us to see. My heart stopped for the second time in five minutes as we realized we were surrounded by a whole crowd of animals; some type of dinosaur, a Dalmatian, a white-tailed deer, a golden eagle, and a fish that seemed to be swimming in mid-air. The other DHI characters had arrived.

The Dalmatian in particular held my attention as it sat a couple yards away from me, with a particularly longing look on its face. My heart strings pulled at its doleful expression, and I restrained the urge to let out an "awwww". "Come here girl," I cooed, patting my thighs with my hands to try to get her to come to me.

But she didn't move and looked even more sad, head cocked to the side now. "Her name's Leala," said Charlotte's voice in my ear. I glanced at her quickly to see her now excited expression. She had obviously gotten over her shock about the lion encounter. "She won't come unless you call her. Very well trained." And she offered a big grin before moving on to the next person who needed help.

I turned back to the Dalmatian who had waited patiently for me. "Come here, Leala!" I called, thumping my hands on my thighs, and the dog bounded over, paws that were still a little too big for it flying in all directions. She was still a puppy, though just barely. Leala put her paws on my shoulders and began her joyfully greeting, dutifully cleaning my face with her tongue. And it was one of the weirdest experiences I had ever had, as my body didn't register what my ears and eyes did. No pressure on my shoulders from Leala's paws, no slobbery wetness all over my face.

At that moment, I laughed at the sensation, feeling a strange sense of right-ness now that I had met my DHI character, like slipping into a well-worn shoe. "Okay, okay. Nice to meet you too," I giggled, trying to fend off the dog that I couldn't touch. She seemed to get the message nonetheless, and sat on the ground, panting, tail wagging, and almost grinning at me.

"I see you've met all your characters," said a new voice and we all turned to look. Standing next to a guy who was about my height with tanned skin and kinda droopy dark hair, the DHI golden eagle on his shoulder, were the four Imagineers from the audition. The Earring man, whom I now knew was Joe Rohde, stood in the center flanked by the other three Imagineers.

The woman on his right smiled at us DHIs, her eyes landing on me for a second, before scanning the rest of the group. That was Kathy Rodgers, I decided, remembering the four names that were scribbled on the bottom of the letter I had received. The other two guys; one was Tony Baxter, and the other was John Lasseter, though I didn't know which was which.

"These guys are almost done," continued Joe Rohde, referring to the characters, "all we have to do now is give them voices. We've got everything set up in that building over there." He gestured at the warehouse that I had almost forgot existed, sitting peacefully ahead of us. "If you'll lead the way, Charlotte?" he asked, a smile on his face.

Charlotte nodded in reply and led us into the warehouse. We all followed obediently behind, holographic animals mixed in the cluster of human kids, Disney Imagineers bringing up the rear.

There isn't much to be said about the recording. I mean, it was really cool how much stuff they had set up in that little building. At least three whole completely sound proof recording booths, as well as the all the equipment you would ever need to record anything audible. There was a little conference room/hang out area where we could relax and munch on food when not in the sound booth recording our lines. It was a really calm atmosphere, which helped me not to get nervous again. It also helped to have the Dalmatian with me, even though it wasn't a real dog; it was still comforting to have her there.

We played some vocal games to get our voices warmed up. It was kinda silly stuff, I think mostly done so we would just get to know each better, but I still had fun. After that, we split in half; three going to record and the rest of us to wait.

I was with the tall, African American guy whose lion almost gave us all a heart attack and the dark guy with the golden eagle (which was now settled on the bookshelf). The other DHI characters were spread about the room, none having gone into the recording studios. I settled myself on a chair, trying not to stare awkwardly at the the golden eagle guy who sat in a chair across from me.

"Do you know what kinda juice this must be taking up?" asked the dark-skinned kid, eyeing me in a weird way.

"What?" I asked, looking away from him to glance at the recording booths. Sure those things must require energy but…

"These holograms," prompted the kid. "I mean, for them to be running like this, reacting to everything around them…." His voice trailed off as he shook his head in amazement. "They must have a team of nerds controlling them somewhere, or this is the most advanced artificial intelligence ever made."

"Isn't it awesome?" said Thomas, face excited. "I mean, I always knew Disney had top-of-the-line stuff, but this is unbelievable, you know? And we're a part of it!"

The other kid just kept shaking his head, eyes suspicious.

"Aw, come on," cajoled the older teen. "Cheer up. No reason to be depressed when you're at Disney World!"

The kid just scowled slightly. In a rush of golden feathers, the eagle flew gracefully over from the back of one of the chairs to settle on the guy's shoulder, making his scowl deepen.

"See, your bird likes you, that's gotta count for something," said Thomas. When the boy didn't respond positively, he nudged me slightly. "Tell him that counts for something," he prompted me.

"That counts for something?" I repeated, slightly confused at the point I was trying to make. I mean, if he didn't want to be there, that was cool, if a little disappointing.

"See? She agrees with me," said Thomas, offering a big grin and I chuckled. _Alright,_ _you got me_. "I'm Thomas Maru," said Thomas, introducing himself to me and the other kid.

"I'm Emma Lewis," I replied, giving a smile of my own. It was hard not to like the gregarious Thomas, he was just one of those guys who could make anyone comfortable. I looked at the other kid, expecting him to return the favor of giving us his name, but he just heaved a frustrated sigh and stood up, walking away, trying and failing to brush the golden eagle off his shoulder.

"Seph," he muttered, so quiet I almost didn't hear him. "Seph Atwell."

After a pause, Thomas and I glanced at each other and shrugged. "It's not often the Maru charm doesn't work on someone…," he said, grinning somewhat roguishly, but his eyes were concerned, following the other kid's movements. Even though Thomas had just met the guy, he was already concerned for him. I smiled at the thought only to realize that his eyes drifted back over to me. His smile was lit with good humor as he beckoned me over to sit on a couch with him. "So, you're from England…?"

We ended up having a nice conversation. Thomas was a really great guy, and even though I wasn't the best conversation continuer, he managed to keep the awkward pauses to a minimum. As it turned out, his parents actually had emigrated from Cameroon before he was born. His father worked in the Creative Design area, helping to ensure the various areas of the Animal Kingdom park were as authentic as possible, and his mother had started a small, local business of handmade rugs, which was starting to become very successful, as Thomas kept reminding me. His parents had taught him French, so Thomas and I talked in French a little bit. Or rather, I butchered the French language and Thomas tried not to make fun of me. I'm afraid my French teachers on both sides of the Atlantic would be mortified. What can I say? It's hard to fake French when you're talking to an actual French speaker.

After we had talked for awhile, our groups switched and we went each went into a recording booth. Matt, Kimela, and Claire were told to wait in the main room, so we could all leave together. They all situated themselves on the same couch, sticking close to talk for a little bit. Probably about school as they all went to the same one.

The recording was really relaxing. I was working with Joe Rohde and Charlotte. As I read my lines, Joe and Charlotte would listen to them and offer any critiques they had. Then I would redo them until I got it just right. It felt like as soon as I started, I was done. They were thanking me for the great job I had done and showing me back to the main room. The adults lead us back to the gate, reminding us about the releasing ceremony as the holograms faded away before we reached the gate, not ruining the surprise in case anyone got a peak through the fence.

It was bittersweet almost. I was nearly done with all the DHI stuff. After next week, they wouldn't need us kids anymore.

Boy was I wrong.

* * *

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	4. The Beginning

A/N: Sorry for the wait, and thank you to everyone who reviewed and faved this story. You really help keep me going!

Disclaimer: OCs are mine, but the concept, people, and locations are not (alas...)

Chapter 4: The Beginning

School was school. I tried to keep my head down, but after Disney had announced who the newest DHIs were, that was easier said than done. Kids kept trying to talk to me and I did my best to polite but it was hard. They just wanted to be my friend because I was a DHI. I didn't want to be mean, but why hadn't people been this friendly when I was just the new kid in school?

At any rate, it could have been worse. At least we didn't have film crews or news stations calling at all hours of the night or camping out at our house. Disney did a really good job of placating the media with some promise of a special interview that seemed to be enough for them. As long as it wasn't an all-exclusive one-on-one with each of us, I would be fine.

The week between the recording and the release date flashed by with almost daily calls from Disney with updates and helpful hints. One of those calls was for my mum to ask for measurements, apparently they were creating a special release outfit for me, which was fine by me –now I didn't have to try and tackle the daunting task of what I would wear to a Disney release event on my own. Other than that call, though, most were for me, talking to Charlotte about what I should do at the release event, which I appreciated. Even if the calls were a bit annoying, I preferred being prepared over dropping dead from stage fright. Sometimes, though, Joe Rohde or one of the other Imagineers would call and ask what I would do in a random situation. For example, he asked how I would find my favorite stuffed animal if I had misplaced it, or what was the last time I had laughed really hard. I mean, none of the questions were really personal nor was I prepared to answer them, so I don't know if my answers made sense, but whoever called would make a noise like what I had said was really interesting and then thank me for my time and say good bye. Other than that, life was pretty normal.

Until I woke up the day of the release event, butterflies doing a tango in my stomach, that is. I really hadn't slept the night before, so "woke up" might not have been the right word, and it was around 5:00 in the morning that my alarm sounded, because I had to get to the Animal Kingdom to do a practice run of the ceremony and get into my outfit, whatever that was going to be. At any rate, I didn't really have to dress up, or even do my hair and make-up, Disney had that completely under control. I just kinda rolled out of bed, took a shower, and grabbed something to munch on –throwing on a comfortable shirt and jeans. My parents said a bleary-eyed good-bye (they would join me at the park later) as I left the house and slipped into the limo that had come to pick me up.

At the far end of the cabin huddled the suspicious kid who had been paired with the golden eagle, he nodded sleepily and I nodded back. He huddled back into his seat and closed his eyes; clearly he wasn't much of a morning person. I hid a yawn behind my hand and slouched back into my plush limo seat too. Then again, I don't think _anyone_ was a morning person at 5:45 in the morning. So silence reigned between us, but it was alright. For one, we were both tired, and for two, all we would have done was speculate about things we couldn't even imagine.

The limo swung us through the Disney estate, passing the exits for the other parks before pulling around to a back lot for Animal Kingdom. Two other limos were already parked there and people were slowly beginning to climb out of their vehicles, moving with a combination of tiredness and hesitation. As our car finally cruised to stop, I stared out the window, gapping at the sight of the backside of the Animal Kingdom. When we stopped, I paused for a moment, sleepy mind struggling to understand what the next step was. The other kid grunted slightly and then nodded at me, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. I nodded back at him and opened the door, scrambling out, followed by the other DHI.

The other four DHIs were already huddled a slight distance away, trying to ward off the slight morning chill and sleepiness. Wandering over to them, I sensed the other kid following a couple feet behind me. _What was his name again?_ my tired mind wondered. _Oh right. Seph._

I joined the cluster and we just all kinda stared at each other, none of us quite awake enough to start a coherent conversation. Thomas still tried, nonetheless.

"Can you guys believe it? This it," he said, looking at each us one by one, meeting our eyes. He paused as if waiting for a response. He then sighed when he got none. "This is where it begins," he finally muttered, dark eyes blinking slowly as if trying to register what he was saying.

I nodded, this was the start of a very long day, that much was true, then again, it also felt like the start of something much more. Noticing I wasn't the only one nodding, I looked around to look at the faces of the others. Kimela's face held a thoughtful expression, the corner of eyes crinkled as if expecting mischief, Claire's face was confused as if trying to figure out why she was nodding, and Matt's face was closed, a mask that conveyed no emotion. I couldn't see Seph's face, as he was behind me, but I felt him shift forward and then shift back, as if wanting to join in and then stopping himself.

"Well, glad to see you here bright and early!" greeted Joe Rohde boisterously. We all muttered greetings and Mr. Rohde beamed at us. "Don't worry, guys. We'll run through the ceremony and then you can relax while our teams work on you to get you all decked out for the event." He paused and looked us over. "So, if you don't have any questions, follow me!"

We followed Mr. Rohde backstage, working our way through a series of back buildings with cream siding, winding our way to the nearest gate into the park. We emerged a few minutes later in Dinoland USA, coming out from a gate behind the Dinosaur ride. As we moved through the silent park, dawn light slowly creeping over the surroundings, the nervous energy that had kept me awake all night bubbled up in me again. The creatures that lived in the park were just waking up, greeting the morning with their calls, but otherwise everything else was silent –no music helping to set the mood in the park, no tourists rushing to the next exciting attraction.

I sighed and smiled goofily. Mr. Rohde must have caught my expression and he shot me a quick grin. "Of all the parks, this is my favorite to visit in the morning," he murmured to me as we left the Dinoland area and crossed the bridge to Discovery Island.

Walking on in silence, I felt the tension in me rise. Everything seemed to be waiting for something. It was like that moment at the very beginning of "The Lion King" right before the sun rose. You knew it was going to happen and you knew when it did, everything would be started in motion, but for just the briefest second, everything was holding its breath before it burst into song. We made a left, heading toward the entrance of the park where we discovered a huge platform was erected.

People were already scrambling all around it, and, even though there was a flurry of activity, everything was also respectfully quiet, keeping most talking at a whisper. I picked out the other Imagineer-judges from the audition scrambling around the area, making sure the site was being put in proper order.

Charlotte spotted us as we arrived, jogging up to meet us, a clipboard in hand. "Good, you're here," she said, smiling at us. "If you'll follow me, we'll begin the rehearsal."

(Sorry, I have to cut the rehearsal out. Thomas says I don't need to go through it, it went smoothly after all. He says that we haven't even gotten to the important stuff yet. I say it's all important. And then Thomas made the very good point that if I went through every detail, our story would never be told. I suppose that's true, I can be a little too thorough sometimes. So, in the end, I'll be skipping the rehearsal, which as I said, went well, and the prep time, which I kind of slept through anyway, and go straight to the Release Event. I'm sorry if you wanted to read about –oh alright, I'll keep writing, Thomas.)

We all huddled backstage nervously. We were going to be carted in from the backstage area on the various floats that they used in the parade. Our families had joined us at some point, I don't know exactly when, I think I dozed off. At any rate I was awake now, nervously rubbing my sweaty palms over my black leggings, part of the outfit that Disney had designed for me.

On my top I wore a short white, black-spotted dress, which, without the leggings, would have made me very uncomfortable. Wearing red flats on my feet completed the outfit; my hair had been styled naturally, complimenting my face, at least according to my stylist.

Everyone else looked really good in their outfits. Kimela wore a knee-length blue dress, patches of greens and darker blues wrapping around her in an attractive way, and a zany yellow necklace around her neck. Claire wore a subdued brown, loose top with dark blue skinny jeans. Her face, however, had gorgeously applied natural-looking make-up and her hair was in glorious curls. Matt wore a sleek grey dress shirt and black pants, his hair firmly parted back –looking like he was ready to go to college. Seph wore khaki loose cargo pants with a primarily blue polo on top (though it also had a faint brown, feather-like pattern on it as well); his hair was left to fall naturally, making him look a little wild. Finally Thomas wore dark blue jeans and a yellow shirt that faded to a deep orange as it moved down his body –his hair was too short to do anything with.

My mum and dad admired my outfit as my brothers bounced around the area, meeting the siblings of the other DHIs and generally being obnoxious. I didn't mind, though mum was beginning to look a little annoyed, with all the nervous energy in the air, how else where the boys going to act? Time ticked by as we milled around, I even managed some small talk, though it was mostly with Thomas, I was too nervous to be really adventurous.

Finally, the time had arrived. The parade was to start at an earlier point in the park before swinging around to pick us up and then drop us off at the entrance where the platform was. Charlotte moved among us, making sure we were all comfortable on our float-seats, each family with their own float-bench, before signaling the gate attendant to open the door. The music of the parade grew louder as the gates swung open and the cheers of the crowd greeted us. I felt my breath catch in my throat before letting out a nervous smile. _Here goes, now or never._

The parade had reached our gate and the performers danced to the beat, as we all pulled out into the Asia area, the parade filtering around us as we moved. The audience almost exploded as they saw us, cheers ringing out for the DHIs. My brothers waved, leaning over the edge of the crowd, shouting to one another. My parents were more restrained, waving politely and smiling. I just beamed, the fear that swirled around me banished by the joy I felt. It was like the audition all over again, I was completely calm and actually enjoying myself. The music pulsed through the park as we cruised along; I waved a little, swaying to the music.

Before, it seemed, I had a chance to blink, we were there. The floats slowed to a stop again, allowing the DHIs and our families to get off. Here was the part I dreaded a little bit, I squeezed my dad's hand before my family left me and I walked up to the stage, joining the other DHIs on the stage. My palms were sweaty again and I couldn't swallow, being with my family was fun, being on stage in front of hundreds of people, not so much.

We were all lined up on the stage: Thomas, Claire, Matt, Kimela, Seph, and me. I felt Seph shiver slightly next to me, I glanced at him, though his smooth face didn't show it, he was nervous too. I carefully bumped his side; he looked at me and nodded a faint smile flashing across his face before he sighed and looked out to the audience, confident. I leaned a little farther forward to glance down to the other end of the line and Thomas gave me a brief nod, before we both looked to the podium in front of us where John Lasseter stood, flanked by Tony Baxter, Joe Rohde, and Kathy Rodgers—it was the judges from the audition.

"Welcome to the unveiling of the Animal Kingdom DHIs!" he yelled to the crowd, who, already talking excitedly, let out a below that shook some birds out of the nearby trees. He waited from them to quiet slightly before he continued. "The DHIs of Magic Kingdom was the idea of the brains over at Imagineering Department, so I feel it is only fair that Joe introduce these guys to you."

The crowd cheered again as John Lasseter and Joe Rohde shook hands and traded places. "About half a year ago," began Joe, voice high with excitement, "we introduced the DHIs to Magic Kingdom. The technology in those tour guides was stuff that had never been seen before. They went off without a hitch and have become a great asset to the Walt Disney World experience. After that, of course, we had to make it better!" The crowd whooped again as Joe paused for breath. "We have completely revamped to technology for the Animal Kingdom, making the DHIs more life-like and more able to interact with the guests. So," he paused again and smiled, "without further ado, time to meet the new DHIs!"

The crowd whooped and Thomas stepped forward, separating himself from our line. "Because Animal Kingdom is our most massive, complex park to date, each DHI will be assigned a certain area," Joe told the crowd before gesturing to Thomas. "This is Thomas Maru and he provided the voice for Hamza, the DHI for Africa!"

The crowd to the left surged and parted, a couple screams echoed out as a lion suddenly burst from their midst and leapt to the stage. Thomas just beamed at the lion as it settled beside him. The crowd stood in silence for a second before burst into thunderous applause. There had been rumors on the Internet, of course, but seeing the finalized DHI lion was more than could be believed. "Actual" animals for Animal Kingdom!

Thomas stepped back as the crowd continued to roar, cameras flashing, the lion moving with him. Claire stepped forward, beaming grandly as she watched the crowd move, trying to guess what the next host would be. "Next is Claire Gevry," said Joe, speaking over the crowd, "she provided the voice for Eshana, the host for Asia!"

The aisle to the left that was still cleared from the parade gasped as a deer came trotting down it, looking curiously from side to side. "Eshana is an axis deer native to the Asian continent ," added Joe helpfully. _Not a white-tailed deer_, I corrected myself nervously, frantic mind trying not to get stage fright. Eshana made her way to the stage, standing next to Claire and nuzzling her shirt. The crowd let out an "aww", furiously texting, murmuring about the deer's cuteness as the Claire and the DHI returned to their spot.

Matt stepped forward and Joe chuckled good-naturedly, waving for quiet. The crowd hushed quickly, eager to see the next host. "This is Matt Song, the voice for the DHI of Dinoland, Aldan!"

Over to the right, the crowd backed away as the great lumbering form of the iguanodon dinosaur passed by. They stood in awe as the dinosaur moved, some reaching out to try and brush the creature as he walked passed. Matt stood proud; he would be the only one who couldn't be joined by his DHI, even though it was only light, it would still fill up the whole stage, and nodded to his DHI. The crowd watched the display before breaking into cheers again, video cameras rolling.

Stepping back to his spot, Matt gave a small smile and Kimela stepped up to take his place. The audience knew the drill by now and quieted down once they saw the next voice actor move, quietly guessing among themselves about what animal the next host would be. "Now I give you Kimela Pang, she is the voice actor for Nalu."

Little kids started pointing and laughing as the small form (well, anything was small after Aldan) slipped and floated above their heads. The brightly colored fish floated and swayed as if in the ocean, swimming above the heads of the audience before seeming to notice Kimela and powering toward her. The brightly colored, Pixarfied "humu-humu" fish wove around the girl as Kimela giggled and spun as well, making the crowd cheer and whistle, more cameras flashing. "Nalu will be the special behind-the-scenes tour guide for 'Finding Nemo: the Musical'," Joe explained causing the audience to buzz some more, pondering the idea of seeing the backstage of the theater.

Seeming to float back with her DHI, Kimela resumed her spot and Seph stepped forward, allowing a small smile to creep across his face. That smile, as small as it was, managed to brighten his whole expression, making him look like he was enjoying himself instead of slightly paranoid. "This is Joseph Atwell," continued Joe over the crowd's quiet buzz, "and he provided the voice for Wanbli!"

Seph raised his arm, holding it crooked before him and he looked up to the sky. The crowd looked up as well, following where the teen was looking and gasps rang out at the creature that soared over their heads. The golden eagle came in low, deep gold feathers that darkened to red reflecting in the sunlight, piercing eyes scanning the crowd as if looking for its meal, before its eyes settled on Seph and landed on his arm gracefully. Seph beamed at the bird as Joe continued, "Wanbli will be the DHI for Rafiki's Planet Watch."

Returning to his spot, Seph kept the bird on his arm as I felt like my stomach dropped out of my toes. At least I didn't have to give a speech. Stepping up despite feeling like I was going to faint, I tried to smile as Joe beamed at me. "And, last but not least, we have Emma Lewis who provided the voice for Leala, the tour guide for Camp Mickey-Minnie!"

The crowd knew the drill, looking everywhere and anywhere for the final DHI. I held my breath, trying to keep my smile on my face, trying not to let on what was happening. Suddenly a sound began to grow from Discovery Island. Those that stood on the edge of the parade route in that area were cheering madly. People called to each other, trying to figure out what was coming, craning their necks. The noise grew louder and louder as more people caught on or saw what it was. Down the center aisle came the Big Mouse himself, Mickey Mouse, arm in arm with his wife and holding the leash of a very excited Dalmatian. Leala bounded by their side, at one point trying to get the attention of the couple, at another point trying to smell something in the crowd. At this point, I really was smiling as the two mice made it up the stairs to the stage before passing Leala's leash to me. I nodded a thank you before kneeling by my dog and giving her a hug.

The crowd bellowed—you think they would have lost their voices by now—completely losing their heads. Cameras snapped and cell phones beeped, this would be on YouTube in seconds. Joe smiled, shaking hands with Mickey who gave a thumbs up before turning to wink at us DHIs. "Thank you for coming here today to meet our new DHIs!" he called to the crowd, not even bothering waiting for quiet anymore. "Have a magical day at Animal Kingdom!"

We all waved, standing by our DHIs which roared, crowed, or barked according to their nature. I just stood stunned. Had a really seen Mickey wink at me? I knew they had a new Mickey costume that would make Mickey talk and blink, but I also knew the one before me wasn't it. Was I hallucinating? Dreaming? Disney magic?

"Did you—?" asked Seph, the only one in hearing distant with the crowd yelling so loud.

"Did Mickey just—?" he asked in turn. I shook my head, confused, awed by that little gesture more than anything else I had seen today.

"Em, don't look so confused!" yelled my brother James from beside me, apparently they had let the families on stage after the ceremony was done. Startling me, I just laughed as Leala danced around my family, trying to meet each one of them.

The rest of the day passed by in a rush with autograph signings and following the tours given by our DHIs. We then went to a special media only press conference where the creators talked about the DHIs and we answered some quick, easy questions. After what I had just been through, I didn't have time to be nervous about anything and I just sailed along. It seemed I didn't even have time to catch my breath before I was back home again at the end of the day, completely exhausted but also happy.

_Tomorrow, my life would be back to normal,_ I realized as I lay in bed. I would be famous for being a voice actor, true, but that would wear off, and maybe I could see Thomas, Seph and the others from time to time. Little did I know I would see them sooner than I expected. Well, sort of.

* * *

A/N: I know, I didn't give a DHI for Discovery Island, but who would really want to follow a giant ant tour guide? Anyway, this is where the plot kicks off! Did you love it? Hate it? Feel kind of meh about it...I don't care! Just review it =]


	5. The Dream

Disclaimer: Not mine~!

Chapter 5: The Dream

My eyes closed as I hit my pillow, exhausted from the day's events. Suddenly, a thump in my room jolted me upright, it sounded like it came from right next to my bed. My eyes scanned the area, brain not quite understanding what was going on. _You're not in your room,_ muttered my brain, almost sounding logical under the circumstances.

_How could that be possible? _The rational part of me stuttered back as I sniffed to get a better idea of my surroundings…wait a minute. Why on earth did I _sniff_? I looked at myself and almost jumped out of my skin. Yep, I was a Dalmatian, Leala the Dalmatian to be exact.

I know, I should have seen this coming. I mean, I'd read the book. But, those were just fiction, promotional materials used to help sell the DHIs in the Magic Kingdom, right? You couldn't transport your body, asleep or otherwise, to a completely new place without actually _moving _there. This defied every single law of physics that I had ever studied and a few yet to be made up, but here I was.

I looked around the area again as I allowed my brain to wind itself into a knot and finally mutter itself into silence. My body's slight glow lit the dim park, the lights must have been turned off for the night, and I noticed I was just outside the "Festival of the Lion King" in the Camp Mickey-Minnie zone. Empty stroller parking places were over to my left and the path opened up to my right before crossing a river and continuing on to the rest of the park.

Heart beginning to beat a little faster, with excitement this time rather than confusion or fear, I wagged my tail and bounced in a circle before trotting off into the park. I was in Disney after hours! No matter how weird this was, it was also impossibly cool. I barked once, my happiness bubbling over into the noise, and it made me pause. I had barked? I tried another bark.

And it felt good! I let out one final bark, before setting off again, crossing the bridge. My nose was working like mad, smelling everything that came to me, drawing me over to places I wouldn't normally go (like the slightly full trash can) because the smells were just so _interesting_. I'm not sure how the DHI designers had enhanced my smell, or even how they had fit me into a dog body, but that was a thought for another day.

My nose drew me to a bush at the edge of the Camp Mickey-Minnie and I let out another bark, tilting my head slightly at the strange smell coming from the area. A raccoon popped its head out of the brush, munching on a mouthful of berries. I let out a growl, almost without realizing it, but the raccoon just chattered merrily as a hummingbird popped out of the foliage and flew around my head. I stopped growling and sniffed them again, almost tapping noises with the raccoon. It took me a minute before my mind overcame the very dog-like instincts that had overwhelmed me. They were Meeko and Flit from the movie _Pocahontas_. I barked a joyful farewell before moving on over the bridge to enter Discovery Island, searching for more friends.

I scrambled along, following my nose. The air was different now. Other than the fact that I could smell hundreds of new things I could never have smelled before, it also just felt different. It reminded me of that previous morning when everything seemed to be holding its breath before sunrise. It was magical. Only this time the magic had been released and it now hummed through the air, shifting and moving as I bounced through it. I could feel it and it was wonderful.

As I moved onto Discovery Island, I kept my nose working, sniffing out things I had never smelled before and also hoping to smell someone I knew. At the back of my mind a hunch was growing, if I was here, surely the others must be here as well. I circled the island, heading toward the entrance where the presentation had been that day. The platform had already been taken down when I reached the spot, so I circled the area a couple times, whining slightly. After seeing Meeko and Flit, I had not seen or even heard anything else. I was starting to get lonely.

A cool evening breeze pulled some fallen leaves along the ground, catching my attention as they brushed past my nose. They flicked around my body and I snapped at them playfully, momentary sadness forgotten. It's really hard to be sad for too long when you're a dog. The leaves danced out of my bite and flitted back behind me. I turned to chase them and found myself looking up and up at a giant form.

My heart pounded in my chest as my hackles rose, hunching over in my fright and growling.

"What are you doing?" asked a voice I knew.

I sighed and shook myself, doggy instincts leaving just as subtly and quickly as they had come. I sat down and looked up at the blue and cream iguanodon before me. It was Matt. Of course it was Matt.

"I didn't hear you coming," I muttered, slightly embarrassed, not really answering his question.

He snorted, his dinosaur nostrils flaring as he exhaled and his warm breath washed over me. I shook my head, backing away from his breath. He winced a little and backed away from me as well. "Sorry. This is weird." His voice sounded a bit forlorn

"No, this is wonderful," I said, letting out a happy yip and prancing around Matt. He let out a chuckle at my antics and I gave a doggy smile. I never realized how nice it was to cheer people up.

"So, what do you think we're supposed to do here?" I asked after Matt had finished laughing.

"I don't know," said Matt, more optimistic this time. "I just woke up and found myself in DinoLand."

I nodded. "I was in Camp Minnie-Mickey," I noted and then bounced again. "I saw Meeko and Flit!"

"Meeko?" asked Matt, eyeing me with one giant dinosaur eye as I bounded around.

"Yeah, from Pocahontas," I answered. "Do you think we'll see more Disney animals here?"

"Probably," said Matt, voice becoming serious. "When the DHIs came to the Magic Kingdom, it was because there was a problem that they had to deal with."

"As part character, part human," I added, head tilted to the side, feeling slightly worried. "Do you think there's trouble?"

"Maybe," said Matt, looking around uneasily like something was going to jump out at him.

"Hey, you're a dinosaur, remember?" I asked, giving a happy bark. "Nothing could hurt you! And with my nose, there's nothing in a mile of us that I can't smell."

"Except for me," teased Matt.

"I'll pay better attention," I promised, already distracted by the leaves blowing around in the wind again. "Come on; let's go to the Tree of Life." I bounded around Matt and began heading toward the giant tree in front of me at the center of the park.

"Wha—? Why?" asked Matt, slowly turning and then pounding along behind me, taking one step for every ten of mine.

"Just a hunch," I panted as we circled the island and found a spot we could start climbing to the base of the tree.

Quickly skirting around an entrance to the Bug's Life attraction, I pulled myself up on the fake rocks, gripping some of the foliage with my teeth to pull myself up. That's one thing I miss as a dog: thumbs. Matt finally gave me a nudge and helped me up on the ledge, which he managed in one giant step. After that it was an uphill climb to the Tree of Life. Some of the area didn't look quite as finished as the rest of the park, like it wasn't supposed to be seen up close by guests. That was alright for us, though, it made climbing way easier. Even though the area didn't look as finalized as it should, the air was thick with, well, magic. The hair on my shoulders was on end as I climbed, and my body was pulsing with the excitement.

"Do you feel it?" I panted as we moved around a last corner.

Matt nodded and then froze mid-motion. I followed his eyes to gaze at where he was looking. We had reached the foot of the tree about 20 feet above the rest of the park. The Animal Kingdom spread all around us, trees reaching up to obscure the rest of the park. In front of us stood the Tree of Life carved intricately with hundreds of different animals, roots spilling out around it. Nestled in the horns of a carved wildebeest was a baboon, but not just any baboon. My tail began to wag furiously as I bounded forward over the last few feet of roots.

The baboon let out a whooping laugh when he saw me, swinging down around the wildebeest's horn to land with a thump in front of me. "You're the last two!" he said, chuckling. "Welcome to the Tree of Life. It looks like you two chose the hard road."

"I guess we'll know there's an easier way to get here next time," said Matt dryly as he took two steps to join the baboon and me. I ignored him, not taking my eyes off the baboon, gaping like an idiot, trying to think of something to say.

"Well, come on," said the baboon, picking up a familiar stick as he waved at us to follow him around the base of the tree.

"Wait! Wait, Rafiki!" I said, bounding over to get in front of him, looking at the baboon in the eyes. "It's you! It's really you, isn't it?" I babbled, confused words tumbling out of my mouth.

Rafiki gave me a small smile and reached up to scratch me behind the ear. "Of course it's me, child," he said, his accented voice warm and wise. What was really weird was that I felt his touch. I was supposed to be only light and he was only a character from a movie, but I _felt_ his touch. It was amazing. Other than the fact that getting scratched behind the ear was heavenly, it was amazing to have it done by Rafiki.

I positively melted, every bone in my body relaxing, and Rafiki had to coax me onward so we could get moving again. Matt gave me an odd look as I fell into step behind the baboon and I gave a sheepish look back. As we rounded the tree, our view opened up to a smooth ascent from the river at the lowest point to a small walkway and then up to the base of the tree. This was an easy Sunday walk compared to the mountain trek Matt and I made. Settled around the base of the tree were a lion, a deer, an eagle, and a fish; the other DHIs.

As Rafiki, Matt, and I approached, the other DHIs turned to meet us, standing up tensely. The lion, Thomas, padded forward silently to meet us, offering soft smile as I wagged my tail. "Glad you could finally make it."

"We had a bit of an adventure," I murmured as Matt snorted, aloof again like he was when I first met him. I glanced back at him as Rafiki walked over to the base of the tree, beckoning us all to sit back down.

As we settled, I glanced around at everyone else, checking the names off a mental list. Claire as a deer was settled primly on the ground across the circle from me, proud neck arched. Kimela floated merrily in the air, her expression cheerful as ever, sitting on the far side of Rafiki from me. Seph roosted above Rafiki's head peering down cautiously at the baboon through his golden eagle eyes. Thomas settled at my side between Rafiki and me. Matt was large enough that he encircled all of us, rounding his body to create a wall between us and the outside.

Rafiki looked around at all of us, his face serious, but his eyes positively danced. "I'm so glad you're all finally here."

We looked around at each other, various expressions on our faces: confusion, worry, excitement. "You mean, you were expecting us?" asked Thomas, voiced hushed.

Rafiki nodded. "We know of the goings-on around the other 'kingdoms', we knew you wouldn't be too long in coming. And it's a good thing, too."

Claire swallowed nervously. "What do you mean?"

A worry line formed between Rafiki's eye brows as he scowled slightly, though not at us, and he suddenly looked years older. "You know what happened at the other 'kingdom', yes?" he asked us slowly.

"You mean the 'Overtakers'?" asked Matt; his head was above all of ours, even when he was lying down as he was.

Rafiki gave a toothy smile, the kind an animal gives when it tries not to show it's afraid. "Foolish of them to pick so lofty a name," he murmured to himself before acknowledging Matt's comment with a nod. "Yes. The evil they represent is growing and spreading. You can feel it in the air." The Tree of Life gave a shudder as if blown in a sudden, harsh wind. The hair on the back of my neck that had been standing from the warm magic in the air suddenly stiffened and I tensed, sensing a change in the atmosphere like a storm about ready to break. We all gazed around feeling the shift in the air as Rafiki looked on worried. "Let's not mention them again. Names have power."

"But why us? Why now?" Claire asked, white showing around her eyes as she struggled to remain seated. Doubtlessly her deer instincts were blaring at her to run.

Rafiki nodded as if this were a wise question. "The problem with good is that it is an _action_. Evil can thrive when nothing is done. For good to grow, some_thing_ has to be done in order for it to grow. However, when evil is merely allowed to exist, it gains a foothold and they get more powerful."

All of us shivered at his words, feeling the air grow thicker around us.

The Tree rattled again and Rafiki scowled up at it. "They should not have sent children to do this," he muttered to himself and we all stared at him.

"Sir," came Kimela's voice the first time that night. Her cheerful smile was gone from her face and she looked serious. "I know we're not exactly what you're looking for, but we want to help." Her face flicked back into her eager smile as she looked at the thoughtful baboon.

"The people who work here chose us…for _some_ reason," muttered Seph quietly from above Rafiki's head.

"We'll try our best," I said, trying to keep the hopeful whine out of my voice. Thomas and Matt both made sounds of agreement. A wind, this time warm and yet refreshing ruffled through the leaves of the Tree of Life before rushing down the trunk to rustle Rafiki's fur, loose leaves flicking around his face.

"…but they're the only ones who believe anymore," said Rafiki as if finishing a thought or repeating something he heard and flashing us a confident smile. "You'll do just fine."

"That was a test?" spluttered Matt, a look of disbelief on his face as Seph gave a short, affronted screech.

"No, well, yes, but it was for me," said Rafiki, a slightly sheepish expression on his face, though he still beamed widely at us. "I need to remember to believe sometimes too."

Thomas nodded, a confident expression on his face. "So, what do we need to do?"

Rafiki resettled himself, swinging his staff around to set it across his lap, placing his thumbs to his forefingers and resting them against his knees. He closed his eyes, face smoothing out to look as if he was meditating. "The King is ensuring things are safe during the day, but night is often the realm of those who wish ill."

"The King?" interrupted Claire. "You mean Simba?"

I shook my head without thinking and then blushed when Rafiki looked at me (though how a dog can blush, I'm not really sure). "No, Mickey." The baboon nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Now that the first 'kingdom' has been secured," continued Rafiki, "they will hold on more tightly to the others. That is your task. Secure this 'kingdom' before it becomes completely consumed."

"That's great for the why, but what about the how?" asked Matt sarcastically, voice slightly irritated. Thomas' lips curled back from his teeth as he glared at Matt. I shrank back a little from the lion and Claire shivered in fear.

"It wouldn't be much of a quest if I told you everything," said Rafiki, cracking an eye open before thumping both Matt and Thomas on the head with his stick.

He settled back down into his position as Thomas and Matt rubbed their heads. "What was that for?" demanded Matt.

"For being an idiot," answered Thomas, before turning to look at Rafiki, "but what did I do?"

"Aldan, you must learn to not ask questions so quickly, but instead to listen first," said Rafiki solemnly, face long behind his "meditation". We all blinked at the use of the DHI character's name. "Hamza, you must not so quickly jump on the flaws of others."

Matt and Thomas traded a look as we all traded curious glances. _What on earth was the crazy monkey talking about?_ "Sir," I began, attempting to be polite as possible, hoping he might clarify what he was talking about. I turned back to look at where Rafiki was sitting and he just wasn't there.

Seph gave a stunned squawk. "Where did he go? I only took my eye off him for a second!"

I sniffed the air, already knowing I wouldn't be able to smell him.

"Nice going, guys," said Claire, rising to her feet, her deer instincts causing her body to quake as she looked from Thomas to Matt, but her voice was firm. "You made him angry."

"It wasn't my fault—," began Thomas before being interrupted by Matt.

"Right, blame me, sure," he snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm as he glared at Claire and Thomas.

"Guys, don't fight," I tried, whimpering slightly.

"Now we'll never know what we're supposed to do," said Claire, despairing.

"Nice going, Matt," said Thomas, sneering.

"Hey! He wasn't angry!" yelled Kimela over the noise, which was a rather impressive sound from the smallest of us. We all looked at her as she scowled at Claire, Matt, and Thomas. "Come on guys, we know Rafiki. Even when Simba was acting like a complete moron, Rafiki didn't get mad. He gave you guys tips of what to do, so I would suggest following them!"

Thomas swallowed and glanced at Matt before looking away quickly. There was silence for a second as everyone's eyes flicked between Thomas and Matt, like watching an invisible tennis match.

"Come on guys," I murmured, doggy eyes huge and pleading.

Thomas swallowed again and finally looked at Matt. "I'm sorry," said Thomas, as if it hurt his teeth to say it.

Matt just stared hard at Thomas, eyes unreadable.

"Matt?" prompted Kimela.

"I reserve judgment," he said shortly before looking away from Thomas, almost like he was ashamed for not accepting the apology.

"Matt…," coaxed Claire, voice sounding guilty as if she just realized the negative part she played in the fiasco.

"It's alright," said Thomas smoothly. The group was tense for a second as we all waited for the awkward moment to pass. _Some team of DHI we are,_ I thought miserably, my tail drooping.

"So, what do you think the monkey meant? Listening to others? Jumping on flaws?" said Thomas, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Other than the obvious?" said Matt snidely, looking away from the group across the park.

A brief look of irritation flashed over Thomas' face before said, "Yes, other than the obvious. Maybe there was a hidden meaning."

"It would be like him to use a metaphor or something," acknowledged Kimela, following Thomas' line of thought.

"Listening…" muttered Seph from his perch. We all glanced up at him, almost all of us having forgotten he was there. His golden head was tilted to the side and his eyes were closed as if he was listening very hard. Suddenly his golden orbs snapped open and he glanced around the night sky. His eyes suddenly landed on a form only he could see and he followed it with his keen eyesight.

We all followed his gaze up to the sky to see what he was looking at. Against the blackness of the Florida night sky, a dark figure flapped frantically, darting across the sky as if looking for something.

"Who do you think—?" began Matt, curious despite himself, as Seph suddenly jumped up into the sky, clumsily flapping his wings for a second before he found the proper rhythm and soaring up to meet the figure.

"Seph, wait!" called Thomas, jumping forward as he stared up after the golden eagle. I glanced at Thomas as he muttered, "He shouldn't go alone."

I looked back up at the sky, feeling worry gnaw at my stomach. The two forms, Seph and the mysterious dark form, swirled around each other before they turned and plummeted toward us on the ground. As the two forms grew closer, the unknown form took shape, taking on a blue body with a bright orange beak. Wagging my tail furiously, the new bird landed with a thump in the middle of our circle as Seph resumed his post.

"Oh, oh thank goodness I found you," said the new figure in a British accent, panting, holding a wing to his chest.

"Zazu?" asked Thomas.

"At your service, my liege," said Zazu, bowing to Thomas before he looked up and did a double take.

Thomas awkwardly cleared his throat as the blue bird spluttered and Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, dear, terribly sorry, but you look an awful lot like Simba."

"Yeah," said Thomas uneasily, "I think that was kinda the point."

"What am I saying?" yelped Zazu suddenly, jumping back into the air to hover a couple feet above the ground. "We need you! We need you _now_! You're the ones sent to help protect us, aren't you? Of course you are. Come, come we must hurry!" The bird had almost completely lost his head, zooming around in circles as he babbled, voice getting higher and more frantic as he continued.

"Yes, that's us. We'll help, of course we'll help," said Thomas, trying to reassure the bird as the major domo continued to panic.

"Calm down and tell us what's wrong!" instructed Matt firmly, lifting a giant foot to tap the bird out of the sky. Even though it was a gentle move, the bird still fell to the ground but fortunately no worse for wear.

Zazu shook his head back and forth a couple times before he resettled himself; smoothing ruffled feathers like a person might pull out wrinkles in their shirt. "Right, of course, of course. It's Scar. He's come back to the Pridelands."

All of us stood from our lounging positions, faces settling into determined expressions. A fire suddenly burned in all of our stomachs, one that we couldn't quite tell where it came from. There was no way we would let Scar win.

"There's more," said Zazu, his voice bleak. "He has these creatures serving him…they're…they're—" Zazu's voice trailed off as if he couldn't think of a word to describe what had been summoned to serve Scar.

"Heartless?" asked Seph, though he didn't quite seem to believe what he was saying.

Zazu shook his head slowly as we all peered back and forth between Seph and Zazu, wondering what they two were talking about. "No, they are from _our_ 'kingdom'."

"Well, we should hurry then," said Thomas, flexing his claws before nodding to Zazu to lead the way. Zazu returned the nod before he took off, followed by Seph. The rest of us fell into step behind the two birds and the lion, heading toward the African section of Animal Kingdom.

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I was working really hard on Ghost King and I just lost my motivation for this one. Unfortunately, now the opposite has happened: I've lost my steam for Ghost King, but I've gotten back into the swing of things for this story. Anyway, thanks for reading! I can't gaurantee they'll be another update soon, but we'll see!

Love it? Hate it? I don't care, please review it!


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